OWA helps to prepare fish protection program

A collaborative effort including the Ontario Waterpower Association and others includes a number of recommendations designed for fish protection.

OWA said the project, titled, "Data Collection and Sampling Protocols for Mitigation Effectiveness Monitoring for Lake Sturgeon and Waterpower", outlines key techniques, approaches and protocols with respect to lake sturgeon.

"Effectiveness monitoring is a key component of an adaptive management approach," OWA president Paul Norris said. "This product is an important addition to the suite of best management practices the OWA has already developed."

The report builds on a set of previous best practices produced by OWA in 2009 and should be used to "help inform mitigation and monitoring strategies at individual facilities over time," the organization said, which can in turn "advance broader science priorities for the species."

The project also included efforts from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), and MNR's Species at Risk Stewardship Fund.

"The effectiveness monitoring guidance document for lake sturgeon developed by the Ontario Waterpower Association supports our ongoing work to protect Ontario's biodiversity," said David Orazietti, Minister of Natural Resources.